Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-04-05
1ai1sR eagle
BILL ARP'S JOURNEY.
GOING HOME FROM THE WAR WITH
TIP AND THE WAGON.

MISUNDERSTANDING the EtOwah-Night
I'm an Abandoned School House-Horne
Again.
About TIE close of the year, twenty-five
years ago, we made preparations to go
home. We loaded covered wagon with
our goods and chattels and some meat and
meal and supply of corn and fodder, and
two or three cooking utensils, and a &C Tee
pot, and some coffee made of rye and goob-
ers and sweet potatoes parched and mixed,
some sorghum syrup, puppy dog and C
gun or two well loaded, and few other
primitive tricks, and felt amazing rich that
we had so much to begin the world with
20 much that others did not have.
Our Oldest boy was then about -, and
had sense and se4 reliance like man, for be
had been with me in the army in Virginia,
and had been bumped around snartly, and
was used to trouble. So we started him
and our faithful friend Tip with the COW
cred wagon and team, and we followed after
Ga a one horse rockaway. There were only
seven children then and none to spare. The
weather was cold and the roads in an awful
condition for they had not been worked
in a year or two, and we had to cut our
way around the fallen trees and patch up
the little bridges and make haste slowly, but
we were going home, and that inspired us to
encounter everything. We got along
pretty well the first day and night, but On
the second day, as We neared the Etowah
river, we struck that dcsolate and deserted
country known as Shefman's belt-that
same Sherman "who was SO careless about
fire." Steele's bridge was ahead of us and
was said to be the only one LEFT. The fer
ries were all abandoned and the boats
gone, SO we pressed forward to the bridge,
and as we mounted the hill that overlooked
It we were surprised to see our boy and Tip
and some other refugees carrying plank
from an outhouse to the bridge. The floor
was gone and they were contriving way
to get the wagons across. They picked up
enough plank of one sort or another to lay
two rows lengthways across the bridge,
row for the wheels on each side of the
wagon. II was slow work and pariloI.s work
to put the plank down on the open slepers
but they did it, and then carefully pulled
and pushed the wagons across. The surging
waters, away down among the rocks some
forty feet below, lad no terrors to exiles
going home. After getting the vehicles
across the bridge the horses and mules were
Swum across the river a short distance be-
low, and all were safely landed on the home
ward side
The dar;: and dismal night caught Us Is
we nearcd a. old shell OF a school house by
the way, and SO we halted and took posses
sion and built up rousing fire in the old
log-built fireplace. The house had been used
for anybodys stable, but wo cleaned up
corner and scattered the nyriGis Of feas
around AMI put them in circulation, and then
spread down an old quilt and put BED upon
it and fixed UP the mother and her babies
pretty well considering that this was war
An old log stable was near by and it had
a long, Oh fashioned feed trough that was
made OF half of hollow log We put our
stock in the stable and fed them in one end Of
the trough and our big boy slept in the
other end with his gun by his side. Tip kept
up the fire al night and it shone brightly
through the big cracks, and kept the stable
and the wagon in sight. Mules and horses
were precious then-more precious than
gold By daylight Tip was cooking break
fast and making our coffee, and it did not
take long to make our morning toilet. We
had 10 get some water from a branch near
by and wash our faces, and that was all
The Sun Didn't rise that day and the mist
ard the clouds were thick and heavy. We
were soon all aboard and expected to reach
Rome and homo b. night. Tho road was
billy and rough and grew almost impassa-
bic az we got into the dark chocolate lands
OF Barlow. All the day long We looked
and longed TO see some living thing-a
man, boy, q negro, dog, hog, q bird
anything to break the spell of utter desola-
ton. There was nothing animate except
tho buEZartis that now and then took their
heavy fight from some carcass by the way.
There was hardly q house left-none that
weTo occupied. No cattle or Sheep, no rCos-
ter to crow, or dog to bark.
ght-darl2-overtook us five miles from
Rome, and those five miles ara q horror to
me now. l think | grew older that night
by q year at least, perhaps five. The road
could not be seen, and some Of the glllies
were fearful. But Tip and our boy never
falterad nor wilted. Sometimes when the
team seemed reluctant they would stop and
one SO ahead and explore and then try it
again. Fences are sometimes Glimmering
guido in the darkness, but there were 10
fences. We had not seen one all the day.
When we reached the suburbs of town
the mule team came square up against
fallen tree, and on exploring there were sew
eral in the way, for it was an abandoned
camp aud the trees had been cut down for
fro wood. 1t took rs an hour TO turn
i Il and find another route. 1t seemed
10 10 then that we spent half a night right
thero hunting for a way. But at last We
get into the town--ihe town where street
lamps usa1 TO burn and a thousand well
come lights were in tho windows OF happy
homes. Now all was dark and lonesome
and ts silent IS the grave BY 10 O'Clock
we wcrc in front of n kinsInan's house, and
glinlneriny light shone through the cur
tanned window lsttice. Oh, happy mo
ment-bleS'ed relief. ] actually felt weak
from the reaction that followed from the
long and intense anxiety.
No wonder that the doors were locked and
barred, AMI the light kept diInly burning.
War is horrible enough, but the absence
Of ell Law md all restraint is worse, for the
weak and defenseleSs IRE then at the mercy
Of tho strong. OF course, we found our
dwelling sacked and Quilted of its furniture.
We left 1t full and found it a skeleton; in
deed, the whole town was a skeleton. A
good portion had been destroyed by the very
able man who was SO careless about fire,
and what WAS left was empty. Even the
churches werp empty-not a pew nor seat
left Nv own house had been used rs head
quarters, and the telegraph wire was still
hanging in the parlor. There was not a pal
ing nor plank around the premises. There
was a new stable about sixty feet long for
tie horses Of the general and his staff, and
the troughs wore made OF the pev-s OF the
churches.
We moved into our house and called it
home. We borrowed sorlc besis and bed
ding and a chair or two from kind neigh
bors and settled down | had some Con-
federate money, but it wouldn't buy much.
gave ST. eco for 4 chunl, of cow, the only
one could hecr Of that was ter sole in the